Drew Dixon
Given Florida’s warm temperatures for most of the year, the state is a bicyclist’s paradise. But coastal counties are a bit more dangerous for those pedaling through the streets than other areas.
According to a recent study from personal injury law firm Anidjar & Levine, Bay County in the Panhandle is the county with the highest bicycle crash rate, with 259.9 bicycle mishaps per 100,000 people in the population.
Bay County, located on Florida’s Emerald Coast, averaged 72.4 bicycle accidents between 2020 and 2024. That figure peaked last year with 96 bicycle crashes.
Bay County is followed by Monroe County, with 126.3 accidents per 100,000 people. Pinellas County is in third, posting 64.5 bike wrecks per 100,000 people.
The study tapped figures from the Florida Highway and Safety Motor Vehicles database. The number of bike accidents in each county was compared to the county’s population to come up with the ranking.
The study concluded that many counties simply don’t have the provisions to keep bicyclists as safe as they could be.
“The state’s favorable climate encourages cycling, but inadequate infrastructure — a lack of dedicated bike lanes and poor visibility at intersections — significantly increases the risks for cyclists. High traffic volumes, particularly in densely populated areas, increases these dangers,” the study concluded.
Out of the top 10 most dangerous bicycling counties in Florida, all but one are coastal counties. Those are the areas that attract the most tourists on bikes, with beaches being popular rides. The only county that wasn’t on the coast — Alachua, ranked eighth — is home to the University of Florida in Gainesville, where bicycling is the main choice of transportation for many students.
Alachua County had 39.9 bicycle accidents per every 100,000 people in the five-year span, accounting for its high rank.
The law firm analysts conducting the study said there are measures local county governments can take to make traveling by bicycle safer.
“County authorities can reduce the accidents by implementing several strategies, like investing in infrastructure improvements. By creating dedicated bike lanes, enhancing lighting in high-traffic areas, and redesigning high-risk intersections to improve visibility, the counties can increase the safety standards for cyclists,” analysts said in the report.
The safest county in the state for bicycling is Liberty County. There were no accidents among bicyclists in the inland county just west of Tallahassee. Bradford County was the second-safest bicycling county, with Gadsden County just behind in third.
